Learning to Love
by everlovingdeer
Summary: He raised his eyes to mind suddenly and I flushed, realising that he'd asked me a question. Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head with a grin and showing off that hidden dimple. "I think I figured out what the problem is, Alder." For one sick second, I was mortified that he'd realised I was staring at him. "You're a daydreamer, aren't you?"
1. Learning to Love

The bell signalling the end of the lesson rang and the rest of the class slowly got to their feet, packing away their belongings as they rushed to leave the greenhouse. I hesitated for a moment, slowly packing my things and waiting until I was the last person in the room. Professor Longbottom returned to his desk at the front of the greenhouse and I rose to my feet, slinging my bag over my shoulder before walking to his desk. Coming to a stop when I reached his desk, I cleared my throat to alert him of my presence.

He looked up at me, smiling as he set aside the stack of essays that he had collected at the beginning of the lesson.

"Miss Alder," he greeted and I shifted a little awkwardly on my feet.

"Professor," I greeted back quietly before clearing my throat, "I was wondering if you'd managed to sort out the issue that I brought up last time?"

"The tutor you requested?" he questioned, making me nod, "I've spoken to one of my seventh-year students, and he's accepted the request."

"A seventh year," I repeated questioningly; the only seventh years I knew were the ones in Hufflepuff.

"As a seventh year he's already covered all of the sixth-year material. Now don't worry Alder, I'm sure that Mr Weasley will be a spectacular tutor. He _is_ one of my best students," he reassured me, misinterpreting my silence.

"Of course professor," I said finally, smiling at the older man. "Thank you for your help."

A seventh year Weasley, I questioned silently as I left the greenhouse. I didn't know any Weasleys – even though there always seemed to be one of them in every part of the school. Was I supposed to approach him or wait for him to approach me? Either way I still needed to know _who_ he was.

"Hey," Emily Macmillan said as she appeared at my side, taking me by surprise, "I was waiting for you to finish talking to Professor Longbottom but you walked right past me?"

"I was just lost in thought," I explained with an apologetic smile, "I didn't even see you waiting for me."

"Don't worry about it," she dismissed, linking her arm through mine. "Did he sort out a tutor for you, then?"

"He did," I started slowly, turning to look at the fair-haired girl who walked by my side, "But the truth is, I have no idea who he is."

"How, in Merlin's name, is that possible?" She raised an eyebrow.

"He told me that he's a seventh year Weasley," I explained curiously, "as if that as enough information to figure out who he is." Emily's mouth dropped open incredulously, "I know right! How is that enough information?"

"Of course it's enough information," she said disbelievingly, "There's only _one_ Weasley in seventh year and Merlin, you must be the only girl who doesn't know who he is."

"So he's popular then?"

She snorted slightly, eyes narrowing when she realised I was serious, "Merlin, I'd be willing to switch places if you're still against this whole tutor situation? That boy might as well be heaven sent."

Frowning slightly, we turned the corner to approach the great hall. Rolling my eyes slightly, I couldn't help but remark, "What does it matter if he's handsome? A long as he's a good tutor."

"I still can't believe you don't know who he is," she muttered incredulously, shaking her head a little. Her steps began to slow a little as we approached the great hall. I slowed down with her, following her eyes as she looked at a group of Ravenclaw boys who were coming the other way. They were talking between themselves, laughing as they went.

"What is it?"

"Do you see that boy in the middle?" she questioned quietly, leaning in towards me, "The handsome blond one in the middle? The tallest one?"

"What about him?"

Looking at the small group of Ravenclaw boys, my eyes settled onto the one in the middle who stood a head taller than the others. He was smiling at something of the other boys said, blue eyes sparkling in amusement as he began to laugh fully. The blond boy reached out to slap one of the other Ravenclaws on the back, eyes drifting slightly. We made eye contact suddenly and I hurried to look away, startled and a little embarrassed to have been caught staring.

"That's Louis Weasley," she paused before adding, "and he's heading this way."

"You better be lying Emily," I muttered under my breath, cheeks turning red in mortification. Helga, only _I_ would be caught staring at a boy and have the misfortune of the boy deciding to take offence with it.

Only she hadn't been joking and we found ourselves being forced to stop in our step as the boy – Weasley – stood to block our path. Trying to hide my embarrassment, I raised my eyes to the boy who was smiling warmly.

"You're Alder, right?" he questioned, after looking between the two of us. His eyes settled onto mine finally and I struggled to stop my eyes widening in surprise; he knew who I was.

"That's right," I said after receiving a sharp elbow in the side from Emily. "And you're a Weasley."

"I prefer Louis, but yeah that's me." He glanced briefly over his shoulder at his friends who stood by the open doors of the great hall. The heckled him to stop his flirting and I watched him flip them off before he turned back to me with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about them, they sometimes forget they're not second years any more. Did Professor Longbottom talk to you?"

"He did. You're tutoring me?"

"I am." He grinned when his friends called out to him again, growing impatient, "How about we meet tomorrow in the library? By the herbology section?"

"Sure," the word was quiet as I was left reeling from sight of his grin.

"See you then," he called out over his shoulder as he hurried back to his friend's side.

"Helga," Emily whined once he and his friends had entered the great hall and were out of earshot, "You're one lucky cow."

* * *

The next day I hurried into the library, running late because the girls had refused to let me leave the dorm before they'd talked to me. Apparently, the fact that I was being tutored by Louis Weasley had managed to circulate around the dorm and they felt the need to instruct me on how to behave around him, lest I face the wrath of his fan club for getting too close to him. I had assumed that they were joking and were using the opportunity to tease me, but I had been very wrong. Alice Longbottom had announced that she was one of the members of his fan club and so I needed to treat him well.

I had shared a single incredulous look with Emily before hightailing it out of the dorm and running towards the library. Once I reached the library, I took a moment to compose myself before stepping into the large room and navigating my way to the Herbology section. Searching each of the tables for the older boy, I spotted him sitting and waiting for me with his nose buried in a book.

Slowly approaching him, I cleared my throat. He looked up at the sound, smiling when we made eye contact. Gesturing for me to sit down across from him, he placed his book back into his bag and I pulled out the chair and sat down.

"I'm sorry I'm late," I apologised quietly, watching as he pulled out some parchment and a quill from his bag.

"Don't worry about it," he insisted with a roll of his eyes, retrieving an ink well too. "I knew you were probably doing something important." He looked up briefly, raising an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Something like that," I agreed. There was no way that I would tell him all about the embarrassing meeting my dormmates had called.

"So let's get started then." Running a hand through his hair, he eyed the paper in front of him contemplatively, "I think we both want to finish in time for dinner."

I said nothing in return, smiling a little awkwardly as I silently urged him to get a move on. The sooner he started this tutoring business, the sooner my embarrassment could die away.

He frowned a little, "Are you always this quiet? Or did I say something wrong?"

"It's nothing like that," I hurried to reassure him, fidgeting with my hands that were hidden from his eyes. "I'm just not quite comfortable with you yet – it takes me a while to warm up with people."

"Well," he smiled warmly, "I'll just have to help you warm up to me sooner." He straightened up, leaning his crossed arms on the table. Looking at me with thoughtful eyes, he started to speak quietly, "I talked to Professor Longbottom after my lesson today and he said your grades started to slip this year? You were maintaining a high EE grade in the previous years. Do you have any idea why?"

Forcing myself to give him a wan smile, I wondered how to tell him that the reason I did so well was because I'd had the longest crush on Professor Longbottom? It only made sense that I tried hard in his class so I didn't disappoint him and well, once those feelings had faded into nothing beyond respect for my favourite teacher, it was far too easy for me to get distracted.

"I'm only asking because sorting out the issue might be the first step to getting your grades up," he added, thinking that he'd offended me. "So, do you have any idea what it could be?"

I thought about how to phrase myself before shaking my head slightly, "It's a little personal?"

Giving me a half smile, he waved his hand dismissively as if to wave the words away. "Alright then, Alder. It's dismissed and I won't pry."

"Thank you," I said gratefully, relaxing a little in my seat and bringing my hands out from beneath the table to rest on top of it.

He leaned in a little closer to me, lowering his voice, "Believe me, it was a purely self-preserving action on my part. I've grown up with two older sisters and had to learn the hard way that when a girl wants you to drop the matter, then that's what you should do." Tilting his head impishly, he grinned, blue eyes sparkling. I swallowed thickly; it was no wonder that he had a fan club circulating around him. "But I don't think you'd be anywhere near as vicious as my sisters were."

"You shouldn't underestimate Hufflepuffs," I reprimanded, without any thought.

He let out a laugh, "See – you're feeling more comfortable around me already."

I said nothing to oppose his words because they were the truth. Instead of voicing my opinion, I simply shrugged and watched as his eyes lowered back to the parchment he'd set out in front of him.

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Professor Longbottom to tell me what parts of the syllabus you needed help with and made a list of them." Picking the parchment up, he held it out for me to take and my eyes widened a little as I looked over the admittedly extensive list. It was nice to know that Professor Longbottom thought I was so useless.

"Wow."

"I know it looks like a lot," he reached out to take the parchment from me, "but it's really not. He said that you only really need help with the first few things on the list. The rest are based on questions you've asked before in class." Nodding in understanding, I waited for him to speak, "So what would you like to start with first? Anything in particular?"

"Maybe we could just make our way down the list?"

Nodding his assent, he reached into his bag and pulled out a pile of notes before handing them to me, "These are my notes on the topics from the list – I thought you could use them as a frame of reference?" He waved away my words of thanks, "It's what I'm here for. Now, why don't we get started?"

I watched him as he began to speak, trying and failing miserably to pay attention to his words. Instead, my eyes were drawn to the way some of his hair fell into his eyes as he spoke. And Helga, his eyes were another thing all together. Just seeing them from so close, I could understand why Alice had announced that they were her favourite part of him. Although I thought, as I set my chin into my hand, I rather fancied the slight upward curve of his lips which revealed the hidden dimple in his left cheek.

He raised his eyes to mind suddenly and I flushed, realising that he'd asked me a question. Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head with a grin and showing off that hidden dimple.

"I think I figured out what the problem is, Alder." For one sick second, I was mortified that he'd realised I was staring at him. "You're a daydreamer, aren't you?"

* * *

Following our first meeting, Louis was quick to schedule in our subsequent meetings. Most of the time I would enter the library and head towards the table that had quickly become 'ours' and find him waiting for me. This was one of the rare occasions where I had managed to arrive at the library before he did and upon finding our table empty, I had sat down and made myself comfortable, knowing he would be along shortly.

Pulling my supplies from my bag, I flicked through my textbook, drumming my fingers on the table as I did so. The minutes ticked by and Louis sauntered into the library, sitting down in the chair beside me.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologised, setting his bag on the table with an apologetic smile. He rifled through his bag as he spoke, "I just got out of Herbology and Professor Longbottom asked for me to stay behind. He was wondering how the tutoring's going. Apparently, there's been an increase in your grades already."

"We'll see," I muttered, unable to stop a smile when I saw the way he rolled his eyes at my negative attitude. "We've got an essay due in a week and I was planning on using it to boost my overall grade."

"He did mention an essay," he said faintly, trying to recall something. "He said it was on the uses of the Venomous Tentacula, or something?"

"That's right," I nodded slightly, looking at him curiously as I added, "I need to get an EE on this essay, at least and well, there's something I was wondering whether or not to add."

"What is it?" he inquired, the inquisitiveness that made him a Ravenclaw coming out to play.

"Well," I bit my lip, looking away from him as I said cautiously, "mum was a student in his year and she said that during the battle of Hogwarts, Professor Longbottom used the plant to fight against death eaters. You don't suppose that I can use that in the essay."

He chuckled heartily, eyes shining with mirth, "I don't see why not. It _does_ answer the question you've been assigned."

"Good," I said brightly before slumping down in my seat a little, "because I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"You're _way_ too hard on yourself," he admonished, reaching out to place a hand on mine. My eyes widened a little, narrowing in on our touching hands as colour appeared on my cheeks. He carried on, oblivious to my reaction, "I believe you can do it."

Coughing slightly, I pulled my hand out from under his. He watched me in amusement and I got the unsettling feeling that he noticed the way I'd reacted to his small action. Avoiding his eyes, I scanned through the textbook that was still open in front of me, flickering through the pages.

"I was looking through your notes last night," I started, tucking some of my hair behind my ears and bringing my eyes to him for the fraction of a second. He was still watching me, eyes alight with an odd tenderness which I promptly dismissed as I hurried to look away from him. "And well, something didn't quite make sense to me."

"And what was that?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair, draping his arm across the back of mine. Keeping his eyes on me, he watched as I continued to search through the textbook.

"Well, you made a note on the side comparing the Snargaluff to the Mandrakes," turning to him, I eyed him expectantly, "and apart from the slight physical resemblance, I can't figure out why. So, I did some research in the textbook and saw that –"

Sliding the textbook towards him, I watched him rise from in his seat to lean over the textbook. Reading over the first paragraph of the textbook, he made a sound of understanding. Looking at me from the corner of his eye, he said, "This isn't in the syllabus."

"Well what kind of tutor would you be if you only taught me the stuff I needed to know to pass the test?" I defended, "Shouldn't you be happy that I'm taking an interest in the subject?"

"You're so defensive," he muttered with a slight smirk and this time I could hear the blatant affection in his voice.

Clearing my throat, I ignored the flush that I knew was creeping up my neck and met his eyes head on. "Well? Are you going to explain or not?"

"Yes ma'am," he muttered after a charged moment where his eyes had flickered between my own.

Shaking his head, a little as if to dismiss a stray thought, he looked back to the textbook before him.

* * *

Upon arriving to the dorm room, I took in the strange sight of a crying Eloise Parkinson wrapped up in Alice's arms. Stepping into the room and shutting the door behind me, I shared a look with Emily who shook her head and gestured me over. Walking towards my bed, I removed my bag and put it down on my mattress as Emily hurried over to my side.

"What happened?" I questioned quietly, just as Eloise let out a pitiful whimper.

"James Potter is what happened," she whispered back, rolling her eyes.

"James Potter?" I repeated, with raised eyebrows feeling as though I was missing something.

"He finally managed to get the girl," she muttered in annoyance, not doing anything to alleviate my confusion, "And in doing so, he's left a heartbroken Parkinson behind."

"How long has she been crying?" I asked sympathetically, throwing the girl a look as she sat up, rubbing the tears away from her reddened eyes.

"From the moment, she found out." Emily let out a sigh, "She thought that she had a chance."

"We all know that James Potter's only had eyes for one girl."

It seemed like I had spoken louder than I had thought and Eloise, upon hearing my words, was beginning to tear up. Alice threw an annoyed look my way and I could only give an apologetic smile in return.

"Why don't I go and get us some snacks from the kitchen?" The offer had left my mouth before I had even realised it but I clung to it, using the chance to leave the dorm and the crying girl behind. "Sweet things are the best remedy for times like this."

Eloise nodded her head, from behind her arms and I took the cue to leave. Emily rushed to block my way, hands outstretched on either side of her.

"There's no way I'm letting you leave me behind in this situation all over again," she hissed and I inched past her before she could protest again.

"I'll be back before you know it," I promised, hurrying to the door.

Once I had shut the door behind me, I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. Merlin, Potter was probably beaming that he'd finally gotten the girl and was completely unaware of the broken hearts he'd left in his wake. Walking down into the common room, I hurried out into the hallway and made the small trek to the kitchens.

Sure, it was past curfew but the chances of being caught were slim. The walk was short and there were plenty of alcoves on the way for me to duck into in case I ran into any prefects. Finding the painting, I tickled the pear and winced as it began to laugh and squirm before it turned into a door knob. Looking around the corridor and finding the coast clear, I hurried into the kitchen and was greeted by the house-elves who smiled, recognising me.

"What can I get for you, miss?" the voice came from further in the kitchen and I looked around, trying to figure out which of the house-elves had spoken to me.

"Enough sweet things to mend a broken heart," I requested before making my way towards the small table in the corner as they got to work on the request.

"The James Potter Stinks package, miss?" one of the house-elves asked, taking me by surprise.

"Have a lot of girls been coming in here today?"

A basket was held out towards me which I took with a thankful smile. "Yes, miss. Apparently, Mr Potter did a bad thing."

"Well, that depends on who you're asking," I considered, making the house-elf frown. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for your help."

"Any time, miss."

As I headed out of the kitchen, I made sure the painting shut as quietly as possible before moving to step out into corridor. I paused in my step moments later, moving to hide the basket behind my back as I met amused blue eyes. Louis tucked his hands into his pockets, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you doing out after curfew?" he questioned, even though we both knew the answer to that.

"Well, what are _you_ doing after curfew?" I threw back.

He pointed to be badge pinned to his robes, "You've forgotten Alder, that I'm head boy."

"Oh." Colour flooded my cheeks and I cleared my throat, moving to step around him. He stepped to the side, blocking my way.

"Now where are you running off to exactly?"

"The common room," I answered meekly, still keeping the basket hidden behind my back.

He gestured to the basket, making a move to take it and I took a step back. His eyebrows rose in surprise and I shook my head. Eloise would come for my head if I got the food confiscated from me.

"I thought you grew up with two older sisters," I said, taking the older boy by surprise. He nodded, withdrawing his hand a little, "Well, in that case then you should know not to get between a girl and her sweets." Raising my nose in the air I tried to walk around him, acting more composed than I felt.

"And that's all that's in the basket?" he asked with playful suspicion as I fidgeted on my feet, the air of composure shattering. Why couldn't he just disappear and leave me alone already? "Why don't I believe you Alder?"

"Look," I sighed, tilting my head back so I could meet his eyes. Pretending not to see the way the action made him falter, I continued on, "We both know that you can't take points off people that aren't in your house. So you can't take points from me, right?"

He shook his head, trying his very best not to grin. I met his eyes with a grin of my own.

"Well then," giving him my sweetest smile, I even batted my eyelashes up at him in the way Alice had perfected, "how about you pretend you didn't see me today and you can get back to your rounds?"

He laughed incredulously, staring down at me, "Where did you learn that expression? You almost had me convinced."

"Well we don't all have special veela powers like you." I muttered with a slight pout.

His face fell a little, before he maintained his facial expression, "Well, I haven't dazzled you yet. So, there's no need for you to worry about me manipulating you like that." He looked down to the floor and I swallowed nervously. I'd overstepped some unspoken line.

"I didn't mean it like that," I muttered apologetically, reeling when he looked up at me with a grin.

"Do you feel back enough to let me walk you back to your common room?"

My mouth dropped open a little, "Helga, you were pretending."

"Give me that basket and I'll carry it back for you."

"There's no need to do that." Shifting the weight of the basket from one hand to another, I wondered just how long it'd been since I left the dorm. "Just keep doing your rounds, Louis."

"I'm the head boy," he declared, leaning down to snag the basket from me before I could have stopped him, "it's my duty to make sure you get back to the dorm safely."

"And what exactly is going to happen to during this small walk?" I questioned as we walked side by side.

"Who knows what creatures are lurking in the shadows to steal away pretty little badgers," he said casually as the common room came into view. It really was an incredibly short walk.

The entrance to the common room opened before either of us could say anything else and Emily walked out, eyes settling onto Louis before drifting towards me. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. Avoiding her eyes, I held out my hand for the basket and took it back with a thankful smile.

"Thanks for walking me back," I said quietly, aware of Emily's stare as Louis turned to peer down at me.

"Any time." He smiled, eyes flickering over to Emily for a second before they returned to mine. "Don't forget; we're meeting tomorrow after lunch."

"I'll see you there," I muttered, turning to leave him but his action halted me.

"I'll be waiting," he said just as quietly, a hand coming out to tuck some of my hair behind my ear. He chuckled lightly as I grew flustered under his stare and hurried over the Emily, leaving him standing where he was.

Tugging Emily by the hand, I pulled her into the common room and ignored the grin she was wearing. She nudged me in the side as the entrance to the common room swung shut behind us.

"Stop it," I hissed.

* * *

He was waiting for me for our next meeting, just as I knew he would be. Upon setting his eyes on me, he was out of his seat and pulling my chair out for me. Thanking him with a smile, I began to pull my things out of my bag when he spoke up.

"So," he drew the word out a little and only continued when I stopped looking through my bag to give him my attention, "after I dropped you off at your common room, I did some thinking and I can't think of an answer to why you needed so much sweets."

"It was for girl stuff," I said dismissively, pulling my textbook from my bag. "You wouldn't understand."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lip pulling up slightly, "I have two older sisters. Try me."

"That still doesn't make you privy to my business," I insisted, only to let out a sigh when I realised he had no intention of budging, "Fine, if you must know, it was all your cousin's fault."

"You'll have to be a bit more specific; I have dozens of cousins."

"James."

Understanding crossed his features before he straightened in his seat and draped an arm across the back of my chair, "So one of your friends was heartbroken over James getting the girl. Unless _you_ were the heartbroken one?"

"Helga, no." Scrunching my nose in distaste, I realised that I might have offended Louis by offending his cousin. I hurried to straightened out my features, "Not that I have anything against James – we're potions partners – but he's definitely not my type."

"Really?" Leaning in closer to me, he asked with a tilt to his head, "what is your type then, Alder?"

Turning to look at him, I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't help but tease him, "Merlin Louis, does your fan club know you're so nosey? You have this awful habit of prying into my business."

"Fan club?" he repeated, drawing away from me. Leaning back to his side, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Do you really not see it?" I questioned incredulously as I gestured to the members of his fan club who were in the library. They all found him more interesting that the work they were pretending to do. "Take a look around you."

He did as told, eyebrows rising a little when he realised just how many boys and girls were watching him. The disbelief crossed his face for a fraction of a second before he turned his eyes back to me.

"And it doesn't make you uncomfortable? That I'm supposed to be tutoring you and there's so many eyes' around?" His questions threw me and I found myself questioning him in return.

"Doesn't it make _you_ uncomfortable?" I searched his features, "You're the one they're all watching?"

"I guess I got used to it," he said with a slightly insecure smile, "I grew up with people staring at me – most of my family are part veela and my father, well, the more unsavoury people have a tendency of commenting on his scars. I've grown up under the stares."

"Louis –" I trailed off, uncertain of what to say.

He dismissed my concern and smiled good-naturedly, wiping the insecurity from his features. "Don't go and join the fan club Alder. I like being able to talk to you like this without worrying about you falling in love with me."

I scoffed, "Oh please. You're good looking Louis, I'll give you that. But you're not _that_ good-looking."

He nudged me with a smile, "I don't know if I should be offended by your words, or wonder when you became such a good liar."

"Why would I lie when it's the truth?" Giggling a little at the slightly pouting frown he wore, I nudged him with my leg. "Do you think we can actually talk about Herbology now? You _are_ supposed to be tutoring me."

"Alright, what should we go through today?" He let out a sigh, pulling the textbook towards him as we prepared to get down to business.

"Cultivation techniques," I requested and felt my lips pull upwards into a teasing smile, no matter how hard I tried to stop it. It was impossible to resist the urge to tease him one more time. "I'll try not to fall in love with you whilst you're explaining it to me."

He looked at me for a moment, becoming serious in that second, "I never told you that I didn't want you to fall for me."

* * *

Staring down at the essay in my hand, I couldn't move my eyes from the grade written on the top of the paper. I couldn't hear what Professor Longbottom could was saying as he dismissed the class. Emily, sitting at my sigh, nudged me sharply in the side.

"How long are you going to stare at that essay for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she stood from her seat.

Rising to my feet, I hurried to pack my things and folded the essay in half, placing it into my bag. "Can you blame me? Did you not see the grade at the top of the essay?"

"Well, I understand you're pleased and all," she said with a roll of her eyes as we navigated our way towards the front of the green house, "but you were staring at the piece of paper for 5 minutes. You didn't even realise the way Professor Longbottom was staring at you."

"Helga," I muttered, cheeks flushing in mortification as we made our way back into the school.

"You don't still have a crush on Professor Longbottom, do you? I thought you got over that and now you've got your eyes set on Louis Weasley?"

"You've gone crazy." Rolling my eyes, I nudged her gently as we turned the corridor, making our way to the common room, "I don't have my eyes set on anyone."

"Whatever you say," she muttered under her breath, eyes drifting to the other end of the hallway before nudging me in the side. "Speaking of Louis – look, he's over there waving to you."

"He is?"

Following her eyes, I smiled at Louis when I laid eyes on him as he stood in the doorway of the classroom he'd just exited. Linking my arm through Emily's I dragged her beside me as I hurried to the older man. His smile grew a little as I came to a stop beside him.

"You're eager to see me," he teased, stepping to the side so the rest of the class could leave.

"I have something I need to show you," I said growing excited as I rummaged through my bag to retrieve the essay.

He waited patiently, making no comment on the way Emily stood at the side, looking between the two of us with a grin. Finding my essay, I pulled it out from my bag just as one of Louis' friends walked out of the classroom and upon spotting him, made his way over towards us.

"What are you doing here?" the unfamiliar boy asked, wrapping an arm around Louis shoulders as he peered down at Emily. His eyes shifted onto me before he grinned, turning his eyes back to Louis who pushed his arm away, "Now, I get it."

"I didn't realise you were waiting for your friend," I started cautiously, looking at the other boy, "I'll talk to you later?"

"No, stay." He reached out to hold my arm before I could move, "This is only Mason, ignore him."

"He's right," 'Mason' said as he stared down at us with a playful grin, "Ignore me. You pretend I'm not here and I'll get to know your little friend."

Emily's mouth parted in shock slightly and she narrowed her eyes. I did my very best not to wince – everyone who knew Emily knew that her height was her sore point, "Like hell you will."

"Well know you've made me want to get to know you even more." He grinned when Emily moved closer to my side as if to use me as a shield.

Louis cleared his throat, snagging the essay from my hand, "Is this what you wanted to show me?" Nodding, I watched him open the parchment before his eyes settled onto the grade at the top. A slow grin spread across his features, "You got an O."

"Thanks to your help," I smiled back when his folded the parchment up again and handed it back to me.

Louis nodded once, considering something before his eyes drifted to Mason, "Mason, mate, do you think you can take Emily back to the Hufflepuff common room."

"I don't need an escort," she protested as Mason took her hand and began to lead her away.

"It'll give us the chance to get to know each other," I heard him respond as they got further away, "Besides, it looks like they want some privacy too."

"Did you need to talk to me about something?" Turning my eyes back to him, I raised a curious eyebrow.

He nodded, placing his hands in his pockets as he began to walk slowly. I dropped into step beside him, looking up at him curiously. He kept his eyes away from mine, looking at his shoes as he walked. I frowned a little, reaching out to put a hand on his arm.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he assured me, bringing his eyes to mine, "this just means that you don't need to be tutored anymore."

"Oh."

"That doesn't need to be a bad thing," he admitted, realising the turn my emotions had taken.

"We can still be friends," I added before he could feel sorry for me, "Or something."

"Or something." He cleared his throat, "Since I'm not tutoring you anymore, maybe we should meet up sometime?"

My eyes widened a little as I reminded myself that we'd agreed to be friends. Smiling slightly, I rolled my eyes, "Of course Louis, that's what being friends entails."

"That's not what I meant," he explained, "I don't really date my tutees and well, you're not one anymore. Are you?"

I cleared my throat, looking away from him as I asked quietly, "Why?"

He grinned when I brought my eyes back to him, "Because I like you."

"I – you what?" He laughed at just how incredulous I sounded and I took the opportunity to look around the hallway, realising we were walking towards the common room.

"I like you," he repeated confidently, making me falter in my step. "So, Hogsmeade then?"

Avoiding his eyes, I nodded absentmindedly, as I did my best not the react to the way he was grinning at me. I jumped a little, growing startled when he reached down to take my hand in his as we continued our way to the common room.

* * *

When the morning of the next Hogsmeade trip came, I found myself drawing into myself a little. Since Louis had mentioned going to Hogsmeade together, he hadn't brought it up again and I wondered whether he had decided against going together? And if he wasn't, was I supposed to meet him somewhere? Or wait for him to come to me?

Merlin, this was confusing.

"What's the matter?" Emily asked as she settled down beside me and helped herself to some toast. She shared a look with Eloise and Alice as if to ask what was wrong with me.

"Nothing," I insisted when the three girls stared at me as if trying to peer into my mind, "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

She frowned, eyes showing her concern as she looked over me from head to toe, "Maybe you should stay in instead of going to Hogsmeade? It might be better to get some rest?"

"Maybe the fresh air will do me some good," I insisted, eyes drifting to the Ravenclaw table which was still surprisingly empty.

"Maybe," she agreed unwillingly, "I'll have to keep a close eye on you."

Eyeing her uncertainly, I bit my cheek and wondered how to progress. Seeing my eyes on her, she raised an eyebrow and I shook my head to dismiss her concerns.

"Didn't you have plans?" I asked instead as I picked up my glass of pumpkin juice, "I heard that Mason asked you to go with him to Hogsmeade?"

"Well I told him I'm not interested," she began flatly, "He and his STDs can keep themselves away from me."

I choked on my drink, staring at her with wide eyes. Looking across the table at the other two girls I saw that I wasn't the only one who was taken by surprise. Putting my cup down, I wiped my lips with a napkin, "I'm sorry – what? Did you say that to his face?"

"Of course I did." She looked up from her plate to give me a look, "I'd never say something about someone that I wouldn't say to their face."

"I take it that was the reason why Mason spent all of yesterday complaining?" Louis asked from behind us.

Emily met my eyes briefly before we both turned to look over our shoulders, taking in the seventh-year boy stood behind us. I felt Eloise gently kick my shin, asking me what was going on and I met her eyes briefly. Looking back to Louis, I found him watching me expectantly.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" I found myself questioning, trying to avoid the inevitable for a little while longer.

"I got an early breakfast," he assured me, smiling down at me. "Should we get going then?"

"You've got a tutoring session during Hogsmeade?" Eloise asked incredulously, looking between the two of us.

"That _some_ dedication, Louis," Alice praised and I wanted to curl up into a ball. How could I forget? She was a member of his fan club!

"But I thought you were going into Hogsmeade?" Emily asked, confusion written in her features when I met her eyes.

Looking back to Louis, I rolled my eyes. He had no business looking so amused by this situation. After silently giving me a probing look, he looked back to my friends and cleared his throat.

"We're going to Hogsmeade together," he announced as he leaned down to take my hand and helped me to my feet.

Biting down on my bottom lip I looked back to my friends who had fallen silent. Emily not so secretly gave me a wink and Eloise was hiding her grin behind her mug of tea. Helga, I couldn't even look at Alice who looked a little stricken.

"Should we go?" Louis asked again, looking down at me and I nodded uncertainly before allowing him to lead me out of the great hall.

The moment we were out of the great hall, I pushed him in annoyance. He let out a laugh.

"Rowena, you should see your face."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" I complained, "You announce it in the great hall and the gossip is going to travel throughout the entire school by the time we come back from Hogsmeade. And Merlin, your fan club – they're going to kill me."

Even the thought of it had me wanted to hide in a corner. Growing up in this school had taught me just how wicked some of the girls could be, especially when it came to matters regarding a boy. Burrowing my head into my hands, I let out a sigh when I felt him take me in his arms.

"Don't worry," he said, still chuckling, "I'll protect you from them."

Pulling back to look at him, I frowned up at him, "You're not helping matters."


	2. Epilogue

_4 YEARS LATER_

Date night was the stupidest suggestion that could have ever left Louis' lips. He had clung to the idea when he'd graduated from Hogwarts, leaving me behind at the castle. And so Saturday trips to Hogsmeade became biweekly dates. Eventually, once I too had left Hogwarts, every Saturday had become date night. Except, somewhere along the line it had stopped being date night and had instead turned into refereeing one of Mason and Emily's many arguments.

Helga, it was a surprisingly regular occurrence to find Emily waiting for me on our doorstep, arms laden with chocolate and eyes red from crying. I'd do nothing more than sigh and let her into the apartment. It took one owl to Louis who was still at work to cancel plans and he'd grumble but head over to Mason's to talk some sense into his best friend and figure out who was at fault. More often than not, they both were. And then, as always, the two men who come to the apartment and Mason and Emily would begin their very public, affectionate process of making up until they were promptly removed from the apartment.

Sometimes I regretted getting the two of them together.

But then there were those periods between their arguing where they seemed like one of the happiest couples around and date nights, during those times, became a double date. Today was, thankfully, one of those times. Although, I wondered as I stared across the table at the two best friends, maybe I'd have preferred for Mason and Emily to be fighting? At least that way we wouldn't have ended up playing truth or dare like we were bloody fifth years.

Playing truth or dare with Mason around was dangerous, as I had learned within my first year of dating Louis. The dares were always dirty and the truths were either dirtier or downright embarrassing. Helga, just thinking about the first time I had played truth or dare with the two men and had stupidly picked dare, still made my face red. To make matters worse, both men insisted on pouring a few drops of veritaserum into each of our cups, claiming that it was the Ravenclaw way to play.

I sat watching as the bottle pointed to Emily and moved to take my glass, hesitating slightly. We'd all already drank some of the veritaserum laced water at the beginning of the game. Taking another few sips from the glass would only mean that the veritaserum would last longer, long past the duration of the game. And Louis would take advantage of that.

Feeling a foot brush against mine from beneath the table, I looked up and met the blue eyes that were watching me in amusement. He looked between the glass and me, raising an eyebrow teasingly. Narrowing my eyes, I paid no heed to the question Mason asked Emily – something to do with the person she lost her virginity to – and instead watched as Louis raised his own veritaserum laced water to his lips. Setting his glass down on the table, he waited for me to do the same. I followed soon after, copying the motion and watching him smirk a little in response. There _were_ a few questions I needed answers to.

My eyes moved away from his, shifting to settle on Mason's face as he looked a little gobsmacked by Emily's answer to the question. Was it because the answer was so unexpected? The girl in question did nothing more than shift a little in her seat, crossing her arms and staring inquisitively at her boyfriend.

"You knew I wasn't a virgin when we got together," she said growing a little exasperated, "what does it matter who I lost it to?"

"It doesn't," he protested, although he looked clearly put out by the name she'd uttered.

"Well it clearly does," she interjected, "or you wouldn't be looking so bloody annoyed."

"He's probably worried that you've been comparing them all this time," Louis said casually, not seeing the way his best friend glared daggers at him, "that sort of thing matters to us guys."

"Well it shouldn't," I said firmly, seeing the way his eyes had flickered in my direction as he spoke.

He said nothing, merely reaching over to spin the bottle and reclining in his seat with a triumphant smile when it pointed in my direction. I fought not to narrow my eyes at him; had he charmed the bottle somehow to land on me whenever he spun it? Because I could think of no other explanation and I refused to consider it a coincidence.

"Truth or dare?" he asked, that stupid hidden dimple coming out as he straightened in his seat in excitement.

"Truth." Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my seat. "Do your worst, Weasley."

"There's something I've been curious about since before we started dating," he began slowly, "and I _think_ I know the answer to the question."

"Then there's no point in asking that question, is there?"

"Now what kind of Ravenclaw would I be if I didn't check my facts?" he wondered aloud with a grin. "So, why did your Herbology grades plummet all of a sudden?"

I stilled at the question, trying my very best to fight against the urge to answer the question but it was pointless. Emily looked at me, eyes sympathetic as I was inevitably forced to answer the question. Merlin, this was going to be so embarrassing.

"Well?"

"I had a crush on Professor Longbottom," I confided quietly, watching Louis stiffen in his seat as I felt my ears warm. So, his guess had been wrong then?

"I'm sorry what?" he spluttered, "I assumed it was a crush but on Professor Longbottom of all people."

"Hey!" I exclaimed defensively, "He's a good man."

"I'm not denying that, but –"

"Does this really matter?" I raised an eyebrow, "I got over the crush at the end of fifth year and as a result my grades plummeted, are you happy?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted quietly, looking as if he was contemplating my apprenticeship with Professor Longbottom and suddenly seeing it in a not so innocent light. "Maybe I should start wearing cardigans?"

"Oh, would you stop moping you asshole?" Mason slapped Louis on the arm as he stared petulantly at me, "Besides, shouldn't you of all people be thanking good old Professor Longbottom for getting the two of you together?"

Louis made a face, looking away from me to throw Mason a glare that told him to drop the matter. Raising his hands in mock surrender, Mason turned his eyes to me and winked playfully. Meeting his eyes contemplatively, I watched them flicker quickly to the bottle and understood instantly. I reached out to spin the bottle slowly, stopping it as it reached Louis.

"That's cheating," he protested, and I saw Emily sit up in her seat as she watched us in amusement.

"And so is the charm you've placed on the bottle." Resting my chin on my hand, I raised an eyebrow, "Now what did Mason mean?"

"This is all your fault, you bloody twat," Louis muttered in annoyance, trying to delay the inevitability of the veritaserum forcing him to tell the truth. With a sigh, he turned his eyes back to mine, "I might have volunteered to tutor you."

"Is that all?" My eyebrows rose in confusion, not seeing what the big deal was.

"Of course it's not," Mason butted in, dodging the hit that Louis tried to land on his arm. "This idiot was completely mad for you – had been since the last term of sixth year. Ever since you stumbled over your own feet and fell into his arms. Literally. You should have seen him, fumbling around like a puppy, acting like he'd spoken to a girl before, let alone kissed one –"

"Mason," Louis called out warningly, bringing my eyes to him and I was taken by surprise at the sight of the red dusting his cheeks. Although, from the heat of my face and the teasing elbow Emily gave to my ribs, I doubted that I was faring any better.

Mason continued on, unperturbed, "He practically jumped at the chance to volunteer to tutor you when Professor Longbottom asked."


End file.
